Baked Pesto Chicken

Here is another VERY simple recipe from Moms Who Think.  Couldn't have been easier.  We are always looking for ways to spice up a chicken breast, and this has now made our regular list.  All I had growing up was baked chicken, and Scott always grills the chicken, so I very much looked forward to some of the nice and juicy baked variety.  We paired it with Angel Hair Pasta like she suggested and Stove Top Chicken Stuffing cause I bought way too many at the store one day.  For the Angel Hair, I just used the leftover pesto that was in the jar, added some olive oil, salt, and Parmesan cheese and it tasted great.  Nolan absolutely loved the chicken too which made for a nice and easy meal for all of us.

Recipe can be found here.

Lemi Shine

Got another product for you!  This is something we have been using for the past 4-5 months or so and it is SO great.  I'm sure some of you have been using it or have heard of it, but you all definitely need to try it.  Especially if you have hard water and your glasses get stained.

We were trying to save some money and instead of the normal Finish dish detergent we get we got some of the Cascade Action Pacs.  As soon as the load was done we looked at our dishes and they never looked so terrible.  White residue all over our nice stoneware and glasses.  We decided to give the Pacs away to family who have soft water and use them so they wouldn't go to waste and we went back to the Finish brand.  We were hoping that just switching back would get rid of the white stuff, but it didn't.  Handwashing didn't either.  It was annoying.  We were over at our friends house and her sister said they started using Lemi Shine and that it was a miracle worker.

We found some at Walmart and thought there was nothing to lose.  They suggest you do a load with no dishes and just the Lemi Shine first and I guarantee you will think you have a brand new dishwasher it is so shiny.  I would recommend not following the directions on the bottle of where it says to put it and the dish detergent.  For the best results we put both the Finish AND the Lemi Shine in the designated detergent box.  Just put the pac in and then dust the Lemi Shine around it.  After the first use, our white residue was completely gone.  Miracle!  So we have used it ever since for every load and our dishes have never looked better.  I got my sister Kim using it and she texted me saying how great it was and how nice her dishwasher looked after that first cycle, so I would highly recommend it!

Decorating for Christmas

Cue the Christmas music, the season is upon us!  I couldn't wait to get the decorations up for Christmas and the weekend after Thanksgiving seems to be the perfect time to do it.  Yesterday, we blasted the Christmas tunes and got to working getting the tree up, the nativity up, the stockings up by the chimney with care, and making some switches to the entry way.

But first and most importantly, this weekend we made a trip to Michael's.  Yes, Scott and Nolan came with me cause we were RIGHT THERE and it just worked out perfect.  Sorry boys, if I'm the only girl in the house, you will be forced to go to craft stores with me once in a blue moon.  We went to get some supplies for an idea I saw on Pinterest as well as a fun childhood pre-school memory of mine of playing with a felt Christmas tree.  I got the supplies that evening and started making everything after Nollie went to bed for the night.  The next morning, I got to making the ornaments and had him get started.  I have never seen him so excited to play with something.  He was so engaged and concentrated so hard on getting the felt pieces up.  He seriously could have played with it all day.  Besides coloring, I think this will give him some much needed creative time as well as time to think and organize.  Great great idea and I'm so glad it worked out to do this year.  It will be one that I hope to save for years to come.  The whole project was $8 and I have tons of leftover colored felt that can be used for another time.  Wise investment, I would say!

Now, on to the rest of the house.  We were a little unsure of how Nolan would react to the ornaments this year since he now has the ability to mess with the tree.  He did good at the beginning, but once he realized that he could take one off and get a reaction out of us, he was a madman.  Everyone he took off, we moved to a place he couldn't reach it and it became a game to him.  He would stare at the tree, find his next victim, tear it from the tree and sprint off.  This happened at least 10 times.  It was hilarious and exhausting at the same time and all of the ornaments are now on the top half of the tree and it looks ridiculous.  Actually, pretty hilarious.  You can't even tell really when the lights are on.  Which by the way, I wish I had Nolan's reaction on tape when we turned the lights on for the first time.  He kept doing it though, so one of these nights I will get it.  He just kept saying "Ooohhhh" with a huge surprised look on his face.  So cute.

With the new season upon us,  I of course was excited to Christmasify the entry table.  I used things we already had and just switched stuff out, and used some awesome items from the sale Pamida had last year after Christmas.  Like, the reindeer was seriously 75 cents.  The candle set, maybe a dollar, and all of those green and red ornaments were less than $1 each for three tubes of them.  Very inexpensive little project.  The little nativity was one I had from when I was a kid.  The vase with the things sticking out, I literally removed the yellow fall leaves and left the red and green decor.  Simple little switch.  Don't have to spend much to make a space the way you want it to look.

Hope everyone is having fun getting into the holiday spirit!  I absolutely love this time of year and was excited to see some snow outside today!

Thanksgiving Fun

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!  We sure did and had fun with family with good food and good conversation. 

This year I brought the mashed potatoes and the stuffing.  I went to my mom to get her recipe for her mashed potatoes because they are just awesome.  Lots of great flavor.  I didn't get a picture, but I'm sure you can all imagine what mashed potatoes look like... :)  The stuffing was your good ol' Stove Top.  Can't do much better than that.  And we just bought the packet gravy which we mixed in with some real gravy so it tasted great!

Here is the recipe:

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

 

10 large potatoes

1/2 c. - 3/4 c. milk

6 T. margarine or butter

Salt to taste

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup sour cream

Butter (approx 2 T.)

Paprika to taste

Pare potatoes. Heat 1 inch salted water to boiling. Add potatoes, cover and heat to boiling, reduce heat. Boil until tender 30-35 minutes; drain. Mash potatoes until no lumps remain.
Beat in milk in small amounts. Add margarine or butter, salt and beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and mix well.

 

Place in greased casserole or 9 x 13 pan. Top with butter, and paprika. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Makes 10-12 servings.

 

I also wanted to do something a little special this year.  I was watching Giada's Thanksgiving episode where she made these Thanksgiving Chocolate Turkeys.  I knew that Nolan would be too little to make one, but I thought the older kids might have fun with them, so I brought the ingredients, and they seemed to enjoy it!  It was just another activity to keep the kids preoccupied.  I only put 4 candy corns in there cause the Oreo was about ready to split as it was.  I just made one for them and they copied my model.  I also didn't deal with melting the semi sweet chocolates to adhere the candy to one another, I just had them use the red frosting and it worked out well.

Recipe for the Chocolate Turkeys can be found here.

Four Cheese Baked Ziti Alfredo

I haven't had many new recipes lately because, gasp, we have been repeating some of our past favorites.  We always say we will have to do that one again, but I still keep finding new ones.  We were ready again for a fresh new batch of recipes and Scott came across a few from the website, Moms Who Think.  She has a great easy recipe guide that could have you set for 8 weeks.  Me, being the picky one went through and found the ones that I knew we would all like (meaning, the ones I would like :)).  The first one we decided to try was Four Cheese Baked Ziti Alfredo.  It was really really good.  SO much cheese.  Because the noodles were so big, you filled up fast and Nolan really enjoyed it as well.  We had leftovers a few days after so that made things easy.

Another point is that sometimes it is difficult to make a meal while also having to watch Nolan depending on its difficulty, and I have never felt so in control of making dinner.  While one thing was going, I was able to prep other things.  I never felt like I needed to rush like I do with other recipes or worry if I'm interrupted, something will get screwed up.  So, it is easy to make as well! 

Recipe can be found here at Moms Who Think.

Breaking Dawn Part 2

There are a lot of movies out/coming out that I am really excited to see- Silver Linings Playbook, The Sessions, Argo, etc.  I usually wait until they come out on DVD to watch on Netflix, but there is one movie coming out today (well technically yesterday in some theaters) that I am dying to see.  Like a little too crazy obsessed ready to see.  I am actually discussing ways that I could go during the week day some day when Scott is home for a couple days for Thanksgiving.  But to celebrate the fifth and final movie of the Twilight Saga- Breaking Dawn Part 2, I have one of my favorite songs ever from the Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack.

And if we need a refresher of the movie trailer, here she is:

Ugh, it gives me chills....  :)  Apparently the end is different from the book, so even dedicated readers will have a surprise.  Reviews are coming out from regular people I know and actual movie critics that it is awesome.  Eek can't wait! 

Excel Mark Identity Theft Protection Stamp

Scott and I have made it a habit to shred or tear up every piece of mail we get where our address is located.  This has become annoying and burdensome and the shredding pile in our office is out of control.  I would show you a picture, but it is too embarrassing at this time.  I saw this product on- I want to say the Today Show- and knew it would be perfect for us.  So, a couple of months ago, I searched for Identity Theft Stamps and found the Excel Mark Brand with the double sided ink to be the best.  A lot of the other stamp's reviews stated that the ink didn't stick well to magazine type material paper, but this one did.  We get a lot of slick type mail, so I wanted to make sure it worked on everything.  It came in the mail and I got to stamping a small pile.  And it was absolutely awesome.  You couldn't see our name or address if you tried.  We now either stamp our mail and toss it in the trash right away or sort the mail for things that need to be dealt with.  This stamp has greatly reduced our paper mounds in our office and on our counters in the kitchen.  Although, if you saw them now you wouldn't know cause it is all older stuff we haven't had a chance to get through.

I wouldn't be doing a whole post about a stamp if I didn't think everyone should get one.  Cause seriously, you should.  You will thank me for it!  And you get to stamp things!

Maria Mena

I feel like music can create a mood or help accentuate a mood that you are currently in.  And if that mood is solemn and slightly depressed and you just want to feel that way for a little while, I have the artist for you!  And I said slightly cause this artist is extremely good and I want you to listen to her.  I just wouldn't listen to her if you were standing on a ledge. 

Maria Mena is one of the many artists introduced to me by Kim and it has been about 4-5 years since the last time I really sat and listened to her.  The few times I have been by an ocean/body of water since hearing her song, "Calm Under the Waves", it pops into my head.  It is an incredibly sad song and I cry almost every single time I hear it, but it is by far my favorite of hers.  The song is about letting go of someone who died and I think we can all relate to it.  If you seriously need a good cry, (women, I know you all like one) step into this song for a bit.  One thing Maria has going for her is her amazing lyrics.  You don't hear lyrics like these often...or ever anymore.

My favorite lyric of the song is at the very end:

I'm tired now
I'll see you when I wake up
I've heard it's pretty where you are

I let go

I let go

Another great song is "Miss You Love":

I know the distance is a factor
but I stretch as often as I can
My goal is to reach your hands any day now

It is hard to pick just a couple songs, but if you like what you hear, I suggest you just YouTube her and listen to a bunch of her songs.  For example- Nevermind Me, A Few Small Bruises, etc.

The Artist

 

It has been awhile, but Scott and I had some time to get another movie in and the next one was "The Artist".  This movie sat on our entertainment center for a few weeks cause one- we don't have a lot of time to watch movies and two- we knew we would need to be in the mood for this movie.  It is a very different movie than any either of us have really watched in awhile.  The only time there is any actual talking in the movie is about the last 10 seconds of it and there are about 5 words spoken at that time.

About 20 minutes into the movie, I said to Scott, "Ok, I'm bored with this."  But if you stick it out til the end of the movie, you get to watch a beautiful story unfold without the use of dialogue.  I think they did a great job bringing these characters to life without words.  I think sometimes the actual writing of a film can ruin it if not done properly, so they were able to avoid that and focus solely on the pure acting and making sure the story is portrayed accurately through movement, facial expressions, and body language.  I think the actors chosen for these roles fit them perfectly and you forget that there were no spoken words after awhile.  It is sort of what is like when you watch a foreign film with subtitles- at first it is annoying, but you don't realize it after awhile.  In addition, I felt a lot of times the extras looked like they were in a musical, which was also kind of fun.  The music is constant and welcome in this movie.  You aren't sitting there in complete uncomfortable silence, but accompanied by music to set the tone of the scene.

The premise of the film is one of complicated simplicity.  You get to watch George Valentin (played by Jean Dujardin) at the height of his career and his meeting with a young woman Peppy (played by Berenice Bejo) who he brings to stardom.  Because he is unable to adapt to the changing world around him, he finds that everyone else is leaving him behind including the young woman he helped become a star.  You watch him fall into destruction and as an audience of this you realize he must look deeper into himself and realize what he needs to do to recover the life he had.

At the end of the movie, I asked Scott, what do you think?  His opinion was that is was good and different.  Which is exactly how I felt.  I felt it was really good and actually quite funny at some moments.  And if you can be funny this day in age without using words, you are doing something right.  It is one of those movies that is great to see once, but maybe not one you would watch over and over again.

And don't get me started on John Goodman.  There are only a few actors where I will go see a movie just because they are in it.  And John Goodman is one of them.  I don't know what it is about him, but I love him.  His larger than life personality was perfect in Roseanne and I think he is one of the greatest actors out there right now.   I felt he really encompassed his role in this movie very well.  I'm anxious to see Argo and Flight as he is in both of those movies that are currently out/about ready to come out.  I'm just glad to see his success in general.

Here is a trailer for The Artist:

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Grace Kelly

My first job out of college, I was promoted after about a year to sell worker's compensation insurance for the state of California.  Before that, I was just getting in submissions for worker's comp risks for the state of New York, and I liked that pretty well.  I did not want this promotion, I did not want to be a salesperson, and I didn't want to sell a product that could potentially put companies out of business.  But, I was put in the position and I was going to have to deal with it as they made me.  It required me to get my Broker's license, which I have since let expire as I never want to sell insurance ever again.

It was not the best time in my life as I was put into a different position I didn't want and put on a different team with me and 7 guys.   In all the chaos of it though, they asked me to come up with a sales song.  Whenever you got a sale, this song would play over the loudspeaker and everyone would come together and give you high fives and hang out for a bit.  There was a lot of pressure, especially coming from the "other side of the wall" to find a song that wasn't too weird or too common, one that people would enjoy listening to especially if you got a lot of sales.  I spent one evening with Scott listening to music and gathering input from family what my song should be.  Then it hit me.  Mika's Grace Kelly.  One of the most catchy tunes I know of and just a really fun song.

It was a little while before I got my first sale, but when I finally did get it and my song played, SO MANY people made comments of how great a song it was, it was an awesome song, and oh I wish I would have picked that for mine!  It was nice and fun and I felt for one of the first times that I belonged on the sales side of the wall.  Kinda weird, but true.  And working on the team with the guys was probably the most fun I will ever have at a job, so it wasn't all bad.  But it was stressful and not something I was a natural at and every time I sold something, I felt bad for that company.  I knew it could only be a short circumstance for me as my morals were too heavy for it.  I stayed in the job for about 9 months and did quite well, got some really nice bonuses, prizes, gifts, and I ended up getting 5 sales the last month I was there.  Which called for a nice final paycheck from them.  After I left, 16 people quit within 3 months.  And there was under 30 of us to begin with.  If that tells you anything.  My next job was even worse, but that's another story for another day.  You live and you learn.

But anywho, without further ado....here is Mika's Grace Kelly.  You will love it. :)  Ca-ching!